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Hampered by injuries, many doubt England will challenge the in-form Wales and Ireland sides, who took the scalp of a team this England side just can't seem to beat - the South Africans. However, the strength in the England squad is very consistent and whilst big names such as Manu Tuilagi and Courtney Lawes will be absent from the team sheet for at least the first couple of games, there is always an adequate replacement, you only have to think back to Luther Burrell charging through opposition lines last year to realise that injuries can give new life to a team, and because of this I believe George Ford will be the key man for England this year, making the most of Owen Farrell's knee injury. Now is his time to show the world he can lead England for many years to come, with a strong kicking game out of the hands and creativity that has been lacking in the past year or so. If he can kick consistently throughout this six nations, I think England will stand a chance of winning this, although may fall short against the Irish.
Key Men: George Ford, James Haskell, Jonathan Joseph
Prediction: 2nd
England's injury list |
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Ben Foden (knee - out for season), Manu Tuilagi (groin - could return next month), Kyle Eastmond (shoulder - will miss first Six Nations match), Brad Barritt (knee - will miss first Six Nations match), Owen Farrell (knee - out for whole Six Nations), Joe Launchbury (neck - could be fit by April),Courtney Lawes (ankle - could return mid-late February), Geoff Parling(knee - will miss opening Six Nations match), Ed Slater (knee - could be fit by April), Tom Wood (ankle - will miss first Six Nations match), Ben Morgan (leg - out for season), David Wilson (neck - will miss first Six Nations match)
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France:
I can't see this being a good year for the reliably unreliable French. Although they have some players we just love to watch, such as Wesley Fofana and Brice Dulin, Their inability to sustain quality for over 20 minutes will punish them greatly in this year's hotly contested competition. A fortunate win over England last year may have some French fans expectant of another upset or two, but it is more likely going to be a crushing disappointment for Les Blues. With Italy and Ireland in their World Cup group, the French know how important this competition will be. I am greatly looking forward to the games against Scotland at the weekend however, and I fully expect the Scots to come out of the battle on top and set the tone for a painful year in French rugby.
Key Men: Brice Dulin, Wesley Fofana, Teddy Thomas
Prediction: 5th
Ireland:
The Irish will be riding a wave of confidence after an unbeaten end to last year and being reigning champions of the 6 nations. Jonny Sexton will be the key man for them, alongside stalwart Paul O'Connell, and whilst the fly half is unavailable for the Italy game due to concussion, the squad is playing so well of late that it won't make a difference against the weak Italian team. Where Sexton will make a difference is in the big games. Everyone fears playing him at the moment, and him and his team are proving that there is life after BOD. If Sexton remains fit for the competition I see this being Ireland's year. If he is injured for the games against Wales or England, it will need a big performance from the rest of the team to fill that void, and as of right now I'm unconvinced that a Sexton-less Ireland would win both of those tough games. But that is all hypothetical, what the five other teams in this competition do have to be concerned with is this raging Irish machine that hasn't played better in a very long time, and it will take something special to stop them.
Key Men: Jamie Heaslip, Paul O'Connell, Jonny Sexton
Prediction: 1st
Italy:
The Italians are a brave and passionate bunch, but they lack the quality of the other teams, despite having the man monster Sergio Parisse. They will see the game against France as their biggest opportunity to get some points on the board, and with the World Cup coming up they will look to show the French that qualification from the group won't be so easy. It would be nice to see the Italians grab a victory at some stage, but they'll all need to be on top form and an impressive kicking display is going to have to magically appear.
Key Men: Michele Campagnaro, Joshua Furno, Sergio Parisse
Prediction: 6th
Scotland:
A big year coming up for the Scots, looking to keep up the impressive performance of late 2014. They will see themselves causing at least two upsets this year against the higher ranked sides and with some good-looking rugby could see themselves achieving the impossible; scoring tries in the 6 nations. I'm still unsure Dave Denton is the prodigal son the Scots are looking for, but there are plenty of other appealing options now. An exciting couple of months in store for the Scots, who will look to build on this for a good showing at the World Cup.
Key Men: Jonny Gray, Greig Laidlaw, Tommy Seymour
Prediction: 4th
Wales:
The Welsh haven't had a feeling quite like beating the South Africans for some time, and now the fans are hungry for more. A massive opening match against the English will set the tone for the competition, and Sam Warburton will have the fans scrutinising his every move, at least from the non-Welsh, with a player like Justin Tipuric waiting in the wings. To release the team sheet 48 hours early is a bold move, effectively stating that they are ready for whatever the English could have, and it is true that England and every other team will find it difficult to answer the threat of George North, the boot of Halfpenny and the sheer strength of Samson Lee. This is a huge tournament for Wales who know that the winner of this competition is in a strong position to challenge the All Blacks for the World Cup. If Wales win their opening game they could push Ireland to the end, but I believe the English will get the revenge for two years ago that they so badly crave.
Key Men: Samson Lee, George North, Jamie Roberts
Prediction: 3rd
This year's fixtures are as follows:
This year's fixtures are as follows:
Friday 6th February 2015
| Wales | v | England | 20:05 |
Saturday 7th February 2015
| Italy | v | Ireland | 14:30 | |
| France | v | Scotland | 17:00 |
Saturday 14th February 2015
| England | v | Italy | 14:30 | |
| Ireland | v | France | 17:00 |
Sunday 15th February 2015
| Scotland | v | Wales | 15:00 |
Saturday 28th February 2015
| Scotland | v | Italy | 14:30 | |
| France | v | Wales | 17:00 |
Sunday 1st March 2015
| Ireland | v | England | 15:00 |
Saturday 14th March 2015
| Wales | v | Ireland | 14:30 | |
| England | v | Scotland | 17:00 |
Sunday 15th March 2015
| Italy | v | France | 15:00 |
Saturday 21st March 2015
| Italy | v | Wales | 12:30 | |
| Scotland | v | Ireland | 14:30 | |
| England | v | France | 17:00 |
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